Training - Stepping it up (pun intended)

Well, another session of Boot Camp started the week of June 4, making this week #2 out of 4.  Tuesday I decided to turn it up a notch by wearing my daypack (weighing in at 18 lbs) during the workout.  I got a few "you're crazy" looks, but after an explanation those looks trasformed into "that's awesome".  Hopefully they will be reading this post soon.  That Boot Camp session included some work on a stationary bike, some running and some plyometrics (lunges, squat jumps, pushups, etc).  I was wiped out most of the day.  Luckily, Jenothy set up some hiking time for us on Tuesday evening.  What better way to work out a little fatigue with climbing some hills?

So, we took off to a conservation club her family uses.

We threw on our loaded packs and right off the bat, a nice steep hill to climb.  Here's Jenothy telling me to hurry up.  She can be pretty impatient sometimes  :)  Kidding of course.

The trail is a loop with several steep hills with no switchbacks, much like the Knobstone Trail, so it's perfect for training.  Rugged terrain makes you think about every step, which I think simulates what we'll encounter on the majority of our adventure.  After about 90 minutes, the sun was setting and we called it quits.  Planning on coming back and getting some more time on the hills.  Here's us taking a quick break for a photo op (couple of posers...)